OTTAWA, ON: The Ontario government announced it will deliver the budget on March 26th and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Ontario Premier Doug Ford to stop increasing the debt and reduce taxes.

“Politicians at Queen’s Park have added big charges to the taxpayer credit card and the upcoming budget is a chance to start paying down that bill,” said Noah Jarvis, CTF Ontario Director. “With total government debt set to surpass $500 billion in 2028 and debt interest payments rising faster than ever, Ontario needs Ford to put a lid on government spending.”

The Ford government announced it will be tabling its 2026 budget on March 26.

Last year, the Ford government’s budget added $31.5 billion to the province’s debt.

Ontario now spends $16.2 billion a year to pay interest charges on the debt.

If debt interest charges were a provincial ministry, it would have the fourth biggest budget, larger than the post-secondary education budget.

And debt interest charges are expected to be the fastest increasing expense for the Ontario government, rising by 5.6 per cent annually according to the Financial Accountability Office.

“Last year’s budget was a mess,” Jarvis said. “The Ford government needs to start cutting wasteful government spending so it can deliver the tax cuts promised to Ontarians eight years ago.” 

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation released a pre-budget report outlining a costed path to a surplus budget with tax cuts for all Ontarians. You can read the report here.